BALDERSTONE residents have told council bosses closing their library would rip the heart out of their community.

A group of 110 people, some of whom have used the library since it opened 40 years ago, aired their views at a meeting on its future on Tuesday.

It follows the cabinet's decision last month to close the Balderstone Park building and move the service into Balderstone Technology College.

That caused outrage among local people and 500 of them wrote to councillors opposing the move.

Some said they were concerned about security and car parking implications of a switch to a high school.

At the meeting, childcare workers paid tribute to the dedication of library staff and residents said they would do all they could to save the library.

SureStart health visitor Pam Callaghan said: "I have worked with parents in the area for 12 years. They do not want this library to move.

"We encourage parents to bring their children in to the library to read and they in turn spur parents to pick up books.

"These children are the library users of the future and we have got to help them."

La Roche Day Care manager Michelle Crowther said: "We have been open for 14 years and a lot of our children go to the library. If it moves to the college, we would not be able to go because it would not be safe to walk 15 to 20 children along that main road."

Debbie McCormark, of Gilbrook Way, said: "The effort the staff put in should be recognised and applauded. This library does reach out to the community already and closing it would be ripping its heart out.

"The main issue is that we have never moved a library in Rochdale into a senior school. People won't feel safe going into that environment.

"There is no way I will take my children into an environment like that and it will end badly. We are dead against it."

Andy Wiggans, the council's executive director, said: "There is no way that we would move to the college unless that question of security, among other issues, is addressed.

"What we want is for people to give us ideas on where else the library could go or what services we could bring into it. But there simply isn't an option to do nothing. The time scale is, the sooner the better.

"So far the college is the only option we have considered but if any other option is put to us we would consider it."